I Saw the Light

Marc Abraham

Hank Williams wrote and recorded some of
country music's most enduring songs before
his untimely death at age twenty-nine.
These songs were fuelled by a blend of
turmoil and heartbreak — not surprising
considering the Alabama-born balladeer's
private life, which director Marc Abraham
brings to the screen with a clear-eyed appreciation
of the man's complexity. Taking
stock of the central moments in Williams'
too-short career, which began when he was
barely a teenager, I Saw the Light focuses, as
it should, on the flaws of an artist who was
endearing to his audience and enraging to
his wives and lovers.

At the core of this film is Tom
Hiddleston's magnificent performance
as Hank. Not only does the English actor
capture the singer's charm and caprice, he
also sings all the songs.(Hiddleston appears
elsewhere at the Festival in Ben Wheatley's
High-Rise.)

When Hank marries Audrey Mae
Sheppard (Elizabeth Olsen) at a gas station
in 1944, success is only a few years away, but
Audrey proves a challenge as she replaces
Hank's mother as the prime influence in
his career. Though ambitious, Audrey is a
woman of limited talent, and Williams is
caught between listening to friends who tell
him to remove her from his act and a wife
who will listen to no one.

With fame, Williams grows increasingly
erratic in his behaviour as alcoholism and
drug abuse begin to take their toll. And yet
the story really gets rolling when, at one of
his concerts, Hank spies the young Billie
Jean (Maddie Hasson), an aspiring singer
who will eventually become his widow.

I Saw the Light is a celebration of musical
genius, but also a poignant illustration of a
restless soul who left a trail of heartache and
fractured relationships. Hiddleston's revelatory
work is bolstered by a brilliant cast, in
particular Olsen and Hasson, who embody
the pain of women who, in their own ways,
were as complicated and damaged as the
man they loved.